The Torah refers to an account recorded in 'the Book of Wars of G-d; "את והב — The gift of בסופה — [the Sea] of Reeds and the rivers of Arnon; the outpouring of the rivers when it veered to dwell at Ar, and leaned against the borders of Moab. And from there to the well — it is the well of which G-d said to Moshe. 'Assemble the people and I shall give them water.' Then Israel sang this song; "Come up, O well! Call out to it!"
This miracle, which is equated in its greatness to the splitting of the Sea of Reeds is described in both the Midrash and the Talmud. From a composite of both sources, we can gather the following. (ברכות נה רש"י בשם התנחומא)
There was a deep and very narrow gorge between two high mountains. The route of the Jewish people was to pass through this road that separated the borders of the Amorites, and the Moabites.
The Amorites plotted to ambush the Israelites by coming out of the caves they carved into the mountain above them and killing them with arrows and catapult stones."
Directly opposite these crevices on the Moabite side of the valley, were protrusions from the mountain on the Amorite side.
Unbeknownst to the Moabites was the fact that the Aron which traveled in front of the Israelites would flatten the mountainous terrain before them to enable the Israelites to travel evenly.
Prior to the flattening of the mountains, the mountain on the Amorite side moved toward the mountain of Moab, with the projections entering the caves, crushing and killing the hiding Amorites.
The Ark subsequently flattened the mountains with the Israelites marching forward, above the now flattened mountains, without ever realizing what had transpired. After they passed the mountains, the mountains returned to their former height and position, with the blood, arms, and limbs of the Moabites flowing down from the caves into the valley.
The well of water that had accompanied the Israelites entered the valley, retrieving the gory evidence, displaying it around the camp, compelling them to burst out in song over the discovery of this remarkable miracle.
The greatness of this miracle was clearly the message that G-d in His devoted love saves us from our enemies even when we are totally unaware of their plots.
I would like to believe that the public exhibiting of the bloodied arms and limbs was not intended to placate the Israelites raging hatred for the enemies.
G-d operates, as He did in the splitting of the Reed Sea, with precision in dispensing punishment, in the spirit of the principle of 'measure for measure'. This horrific retribution was indicative of the Moabites' evil intention to bloodily massacre and dismember us through the showering of 'missiles and arrows' down the crowded gorge with the obvious unpleasant consequences, and thus justified.
This only enhanced the depth of our appreciation for the overwhelming kindness G-d unceasingly showers upon us.
There is one more significant detail to this story.
The Talmud interprets the initial words recorded in the Book of Wars — את והב, as referring to two individuals Es and Hav, מצורעים — two lepers who were isolated from the rest of the Israelites, straggling behind as they made their way over this flattened mountain. It was Es and Hav, who trailed the rest of the nation and in closest proximity, who were able to observe how after the mountains returned to their former positions, blood flowed in the valley. They quickly reported the discovery, with the subsequent dispatching of the well to fetch the evidence for all to see.
The great visionary Rav Avraham Yitzchok HaKohen Kook sees in this aspect a vital spiritual lesson for future generations. (עין איה ברכות נה)
The defiled leper represents one who lives on the fringe and is exposed to impure influences.
The word את in Hebrew is word that does not have any meaning but is used as a preposition denoting a direct object. As in, 'In the beginning G-d created את השמים — the heavens.'
The letter א and ת, the first and last letter in the Hebrew language — the DNA of Creation — represents the full scope of perception of life. Often that view is based on our limited intellectual capacity and experience. It is only when we add the letter מ to its midst, which spells the word אמת — truth, that is guided by a higher truth, that we can experience 'reality'. Otherwise, we are hindered by our own limited capacity to perceive what is truly genuine.
הב is the root of אהבה — love. The instinct to love and connect with the world when unimpeded from moral truths and values, can lead to embracing cruelty, and corrupting true love, where the only motivator for 'love' becomes 'instant gratification'.
It was only when they realized in hindsight that it was the Ark — the Torah, the guiding force of truth in the world, which flattens mighty mountains of imagined might and power, that can lead the way into discovering absolute truth, and conquering these internal enemies.
We are facing enemies from without and enemies from within.
We can only assure our victory and gain G-d's full attention if we carry the Ark as our sole compass in life.
באהבה,
צבי יהודה טייכמאן
